In recent years, information technology devices equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI), such as personal computers (PCs), tablet terminals, and smartphones, have been in widespread use. A user operates an information technology device by pointing to a target, such as an icon, a button, or a command tab, located at any position on a GUI.
Pointing on an information technology device is performed by a user performing a mouse operation with his/her upper limb or an operation on a touch panel with his/her finger. Therefore, physically handicapped persons, elderly people, and the like whose upper limbs or fingers do not function well are unable to operate an information technology device equipped with a GUI.
To cope with this problem, there is a gaze input technology that detects user's gaze position on a screen thereby enabling the user to perform pointing without having to perform a direct operation with his/her upper limb or finger. For example, Conventional Technology 1 is provided as an example of the technology for performing pointing through a gaze input.
Conventional Technology 1 is a technology to control the speed of moving a pointer according to the distance between the gaze position and the pointer position, and move the pointer close to the gaze position, and then, when the distance between the gaze position and the pointer position has become within a predetermined range, fix the pointer position.
However, Conventional Technology 1 is premised on detecting user's gaze position with high accuracy. In general, the accuracy of detecting the gaze position allows for a margin of error of about 20 mm from the actual gaze position; therefore, it is difficult to move the pointer to user's intended position. Incidentally, a device capable of detecting the gaze position with high accuracy is expensive, and it is difficult for such a device to be mounted in an information technology device as standard.
On the other hand, there is Conventional Technology 2 to suppress a margin of error in the gaze position. Conventional Technology 2 is for correcting a position gap between the gaze position and an object supposed to be selected as the gaze position on the basis of input correction information. The correction information is input to a device by a user him/herself operating an input device.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-287823
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-89905
However, the above-mentioned conventional technologies are not capable of performing pointing appropriately through a gaze input.
For example, according to Conventional Technology 2, a margin of error in the gaze position can be reduced by correcting the gaze position on the basis of correction information; however, a user him/herself operates an input device to input the correction information, and therefore physically handicapped persons, elderly people, and the like have difficulty handling it.
One aspect of the technology discussed herein is intended to provide a pointing support device, pointing support method, and pointing support program capable of performing pointing appropriately through a gaze input.